Picture Perfect
by Inks Inc
Summary: Tim thinks he see's something, and he reacts badly. Tony bears the brunt. Gibbs is far from happy. But what's really going on with Agent McGee? Gibbs is determined to find out. Tim-Centric. WARNING: Spanking. (Complete One-Shot)


Stepping back and threading his belt back through his jeans loops, Gibbs looked on miserably as Tim continued to sob his heart out over the conference room table. Satisfied that the belt would look like nothing more than an article of clothing when he did stand, Gibbs stepped forwards once more and placed a warm hand on his youngest boy's back. Leaning down over the table himself, he spoke quietly into Tim's ear as the young man's body continued to heave and wrack with the effort his misery.

He'd had no choice but to haul the kid into the conference room for both a verbal and physical roasting after his repeated warnings were ignored. Usually, it was Tony that tortured Tim. And he'd been in this conference room with Tony on that basis more times than he cared to admit. But for some reason or reasons over the last week Tim had become even more of a pranking menace than Tony had _ever_ been.

And that was saying something.

That was saying something _indeed._

Gibbs had tried, he really had. He'd tried scolding, and that didn't work. He'd then tried probing for a reason behind why Tim had decided to temporarily erase Tony's hard drive. He'd tried inquiring as to an actual explanation for why he'd decided to alter all Tony's doctor's appointments for the last month, of which they were quite a few as per Agency requirements, leaving disgruntled doctors who had no-show after no-show in his wake. He'd flat out pleaded for an explanation when Tim somehow altered Tony's digital badge clearance, resulting in claxons galore sounding off when his senior field agent had tried to get in the damned building.

This was today's stunt.

And the one which broke the proverbial camel's back.

Tim had refused to give him an adequate explanation, and Gibbs had refused to swallow his line of "he messes with me, so I'm messing with him." He'd tried once more for the truth, and failed. But with Vance's roaring's about suspensions and reviews ringing in his ears, he knew he had to dish out the much threatened punishment, even if he wasn't being given the full truth. Whatever it was, _nothing_ gave Tim the right to act how he'd been acting and he knew the time to show the kid that had well and truly come.

Standing there now, listening to the sobs that were still showing no sides of subsiding his worry levels peaked dramatically. It had been a thorough strapping, he knew that but this kind of misery wasn't from the punishment alone, of that much he was positive. Keeping his hand firmly on the boy's back, he continued to speak softly to him. Despite his failures to date, he was determined to get to the root cause of the problem and a part of him knew that breaking through Tim's emotional defence with a thorough spanking was going to help rather than hinder that process.

Some of the most private details he'd learned about the kid, had come from when he was clutching his chest after some action or actions had led to his butt being on fire.

Ignoring the pain in his own back from the position that only a young man can cope easily with, he reached out and gently lifted Tim's chin from his arms. The boy instantly jerked away and dropped his head back into his resting place and continued to sob. At this, Gibbs became positively alarmed and spoke slightly faster. "Tim…you need to tell me what this is really about. If you don't, you're going to keep doing what you've been doing and we're going to end up right back here. For the love of _god_ neither of us wants that, so will you just _tell_ me what in the hell is going on."

Perhaps it was the threat that wasn't really meant to be a threat of another spanking.

Perhaps it was the obvious note of desperation that rarely allowed itself to be heard in Gibbs' voice.

Or perhaps it was none of them, perhaps it was simply a need to get it off his chest.

But Tim finally acquiesced.

But it just made the already strong confusion in Gibbs even damn stronger.

With his eyes still screwed tightly shut and his crying still at peak levels, Tim managed to croak out two single words in explanation. The teary "your wallet," before continuing his heart wrenching crying had Gibbs' eyebrows rising to the ceiling. "My…wallet?" he echoed faintly, before being struck with another stab of fear as he all but lay over the table with his boy. "Do you need money? Do you owe someone money? Is someone threatening you?"

Tim let out a tearful splutter, his eyes still screwed up.

"You…Tony…Zi…Ziva and Abby."

Gibbs shook his head in bewilderment.

"What? I don't get it? Do _they_ need money?"

Tim let out a frustrated groan. "No…pictures…you have…with them….and uhh…."

Gibbs continued to stare, feeling completely wrong footed and nonplussed. What in the good lord was the kid _talking_ about? He racked his brains. He'd thrown his wallet over to Tim about a week ago, at the kid's insistence so he could so some…chip doodah magic about cards and the like, anti theft stuff. Knowing better than to argue with the lad about technology, he'd simply forked it over. But that didn't explain…

Gibbs closed his eyes as reality dogged him.

Tim was certainly the most sensitive member of his team. Not weak, by any stretch of the imagination, but he certainly felt things more keenly than the rest of them. In the front of his wallet, there was a picture of Kelly and Shannon. And…a shot of he and Tony at a fishing trip, and he Ziva and Abby at a restaurant for Ziva's birthday. When Tim would have looked at it for the cards, he wouldn't have had to go past that section of his wallet.

He felt himself groan inwardly.

It suddenly made sense. The increased insecurity that he thought he'd put the bed. The targeting of Tony, where the biggest non blood sibling rivalry reigned. The unwillingness to tell him what was the matter. He felt instantaneous relief that he didn't regret the spanking he'd just dished out. Regardless of the misconception Tim had been labouring under, he _still_ could have caused a massive security incident and Vance wouldn't forget it for a _long_ time. He'd been wildly out of line, but as Gibbs reached into his pocket he hoped this was a way to bring him back in line.

To assure those insecurities that there was no need for them.

That they had no place.

Flicking over to the appropriate place, he laid the wallet out in front of a still close eyed Tim, who's crying was now quiet and much lesser on the intensity scale. Replacing the hand he'd removed from the lad's back, he shook his head at the rivalries he knew he would never _truly_ eradicate from his boys. It was boys being boys and no amount of intervention would ever fully cure it.

"Open your eyes, son."

Reluctantly, Tim flicked open his bleary eyes. They struggled to focus through the haze of tears on the object in front of him. Raising his head off his arms to see better, he felt his jaw slacken somewhat and his insides constrict. He was looking at himself. And he was looking at Gibbs. At an awards ceremony where he'd been accredited for his technical prowess in an inter-agency gathering. Gibbs' arm was loosely draped over his shoulder, as he held his plaque, his face beaming with pride. The look on Gibbs' face was the _exact_ same as the one he'd worn when he was smiling at Tony in their picture, who was clutching a massive trout in victory.

He gulped.

It was in the second part of his wallet, where additional space was provided for two more photographs. Beside it, rested a photo of a much younger Gibbs and a much younger Mike Franks. He felt his eyes well up once more, and this time it had nothing to do with the sting in his butt. Chewing his lip and feeling torn between foolishness, embarrassment and painstaking happiness, he pulled himself off the table where he now conceded he had seriously deserved to be. Straightening up alongside Gibbs, who looked at him with a crooked smile, he shuffled sheepishly, his face burning.

"Sorry boss," he said clearly, locking eyes with the older man, "I was an idiot."

Shaking his head, Gibbs reached out and ruffled the already wild looking hair.

"Not an idiot Tim. It's just… a younger sibling thing."

The junior agent frowned.

"But I'm older than Sarah?"

Pulling him into his arms with a chuckle and being thoroughly relieved when the kid melted against his chest, Gibbs smiled his soft smile over his head.

"But you're younger than Tony."

….

A/N: Just a little one-shot of Tim reaffirming his place in Team Gibbs. Had it rattling around my hard drive and came across it today, written before I was on this! Hope you enjoyed! (For those following other NCIS stories of mine, "The A-Team cross over is next up for update I think!)

….


End file.
